Eastern mediterranean university

EXAMINATIONS AND EVALUATIONS

For each course, a minimum of one in-term examination (frequently called midterm exam), a final examination, and any number of quizzes/tests are held. Students are given detailed outlines of each course, which also include information on the grading system and the relative weights of the examinations. Final examinations are generally held at least three days after termination of classes. In order to sit an examination a student has to present his/her EMU student identification card.

The Registrar of the University is charged with preparing and distributing a schedule of examinations well before the examination period designated for each term. The design objective for the schedule of final examinations is for each student to have one examination scheduled each day, starting with the first day and continuing uninterrupted until examinations have been taken in all courses. To the greatest extent possible, the number of students with multiple examinations on a single day is reduced to the lowest figure. Individual conflicts that may arise from the schedule should be reconciled with the assistance of the Registrar. An alternative to an examination may be employed for certain courses with the approval of the Dean of the Faculty.

Mid-term Examinations

In every academic semester, a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 3 mid-terms are given to students in each course. No mid-term examinations can be administered during the final week of the semester.

Final Examinations

Principles for final examinations are as follows:

• 
  Final examinations are administered on the dates specified in the Academic Calendar.
  
• 
  No level of performance in mid-term examination may be set as a precondition for taking the final examination.
  
• 
  Final examination papers must be evaluated and results must be submitted to the Department Chair for publication within five days following the examination date.
  
• 
  Letter grades are announced by the Registrar’s Office at a date determined by the Rector’s Office.
  

Other Criteria to Be Considered for Evaluation

Quizzes which are prepared and evaluated by the course instructor can be administered without prior notice. In applied courses, evaluation can be based on projects, workshops, laboratory reports and / or examinations. Examinations can have written or oral format. Either the course instructor or another academic member of the staff assigned by the Course Coordinator is entitled to make the Workshop/Lab evaluations. Homework prepared during the term can be included in the overall evaluation. Homework will be assessed by the course instructor or an academic staff member assigned by the course instructor.

Make-up Examinations

A student who fails to sit for an examination for a valid reason is given a make-up exam. Within three days after the examination, students who wish to take a make-up must submit a written statement to the course instructor or the course coordinator explaining the reason(s) for his/her request. Make-up examinations for the final exams are administered by the course instructor or course coordinator no later than ten days prior to the start of the registration period of the following semester. If the cause of the student’s absence persists during the time allocated for the make-up examination, a new make-up is given. However, if the make-up examination is not taken by the student ten days before the registration for the new term begins, the situation is brought to the attention of the Faculty/School Academic Council and decided on accordingly.

Graduation Make-ups (Additional Examinations in the Graduation Semester)

Any student who is at the graduation semester but fails to fulfill all requirements is eligible to take the graduation make-up examination under the following circumstances:

• 
  Students who fail to meet the graduation requirements due to F and/or D- grades are allowed to sit the exam for up to 2 courses with previously obtained grades of F and/or D-, 
  
• 
  Students who fail to meet the graduation criteria due to low CGPA (less than 2.00) are allowed to take the graduation make-up examination for up to 2 courses with grades D, D+, C- grades in all other undergraduate programs.
  
• 
  A student who fails a graduation make-up of a specific course must register for that course again. A graduation make-up cannot be given for courses with NG grades. Grades obtained from the graduation make-ups are evaluated as term letter grades.
  

Grading and Scholastic Evaluation

Faculty members have the responsibility of providing the University with an individual evaluation of the work of each student in their classes. Grade reports are normally received in the Office of the Registrar immediately after the final examination period for each term, and end-of-course grades are entered on each student's academic record at the close of each term.

End-of-Course Grades and Grade-Points

The end-of-course grades refer to the level of achievement a student has reached in a given course. In calculating the end-of-course grades, midterm and final examinations, and laboratory/workshop reports and/or examinations, quiz, project and/or homework grades (if applicable) are all taken into consideration. The following rules are applied during the calculation of the term grade:

• 
  At the beginning of the term, the course instructor informs the relevant department chair and the students in writing about the number of examinations to be administered and their weights, as well as the weights of quizzes and lab/workshop reports (if applicable).
  
• 
  In cases where the course is taught by multiple instructors, a course coordinator is appointed by the relevant department chair. Taking the recommendations of other instructors teaching the same course into consideration, the Course Coordinator will determine the weight of each examination to be given during the semester.
  
• 
  Weight of the final examination can not exceed 50%.
  
• 
  End of semester grade is determined by the course instructor based on the grades specified in the Table 2.
  

Twelve categories of scholastic achievement, ranging from “superior” to “failure” (A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, F), are recognized as valid end-of-course grades. A student who has obtained an (A), (A-), (B+), (B), (B-), (C+), (C), (C-), (D+), (D) or (S) grade from a course is considered to have completed the course successfully. A student who has obtained a (D-), (F), (NG) or (U) grade from a course is required to repeat the relevant course at the next available opportunity. These grades are indexed on a scale of ‘0-4’ and termed Grade-Points. ‘W’ (withdrawn), indicates withdrawal from a course before the end of a term. In cases where a student has been authorized to delay completion of coursework past the normal end-of-term, the symbol ‘I’ (incomplete) may be employed temporarily in lieu of an academic grade until a formal grade is reported. Achievement in a non-credit-hour course is indicated by the symbols ‘S’ (satisfactory) or ‘U’ (unsatisfactory). In the case of repeated coursework, the last grade earned is considered the official course grade. The symbol ‘NG’ (Nil Grade) indicates poor attendance and/or a failure to complete assigned work (including exams).

Conditions for ‘I’ Grade

The ‘I’ grade is a temporary reporting symbol, indicating that the student is authorized additional time to submit or complete work. The following rules apply:

• 
  The student must present an academically acceptable explanation to his/her instructor within three working days after the final examination, stating why the work was not completed within the time limit specified by the instructor.
  
• 
  The time for replacing an ‘I’ with a normal grade must not be later than one week before the first day of registration to the following semester.
  
• 
  If a student re-registers for a course for which he/she has previously been assigned an ‘I’ or fails to complete the required work, the ‘I’ grade will automatically convert to an ‘F’ and will be treated as an F grade. But if the student’s excuse still continues or the student is in his/her graduation semester in which he/she received an ‘I’ grade, then the time for replacing an ‘I’ grade with a normal grade may be extended by the Faculty Board, if such a change is proposed by the Chair of the department.
  
• 
  The ‘I’ grade is not included in the GPA or CGPA calculations until it is converted to another grade.
  

Conditions for ‘NG’ Grade

The NG grade is given if students do not participate in coursework. A student is considered not participating in class work if he/she has high absenteeism during lecture and/or tutorial (lab) hours or he/she habitually do not submit the class and/or homework assignments to his/her lecturer.
At the beginning of each semester, every lecturer will make clear the conditions that may cause a student to receive a NG grade in his/her particular course. Recipient of a NG grade may be exposed to some or all of the following:

• 
  For the sake of GPA or CGPA calculations, ‘NG’ is treated as F grade.
  
• 
  NG grade will be described on the transcripts issued by the University.
  
• 
  No additional graduation examinations will be granted for the courses with NG grades.
  
• 
  The families of the students will be informed of the meaning and results of the ‘NG’.
  
• 
  For the semester which immediately follows an “academic warning”, two or more NG grades received will result in the “faculty dismissal” of the student.
  

(W) Withdrawal from a Course

The grade (W) is given to students who were allowed to withdraw from a registered course between the 3rd and 11th weeks of the semester, counting from the starting date for the courses. The “W” grade is shown on the transcript of the student.

(S)-(U) Satisfactory- Unsatisfactory

The grades (S) or (U) are given to students who are registered to certain courses or training. (S) indicates satisfactory and (U) indicates unsatisfactory completion of the course. 
Table 2 End-of-Course Grades and Grade-Points

End-of-Course Grades	Grade-Points	Explanation
A	4.0	Superior Pass in a credit-course
A-	3.7	Superior Pass in a credit-course
B+	3.3	Very Good Pass in a credit-course
B	3.0	Very Good Pass in a credit-course
B-	2.7	Very Good Pass in a credit-course
C+	2.3	Pass in a credit-course
C	2.0	Pass in a credit-course
C-	1.7	Conditional Pass in a credit-course
D+	1.3	Conditional Pass in a credit-course
D	1.0	Conditional Pass in a credit-course
D-	0.7	Failure in a credit-course
F	0.0	Failure in a credit-course
NG	0.0	Failure in a credit-course due to disinterest of the student
S	*	Satisfactory (Pass in a non-credit-course)
U	*	Unsatisfactory (Failure in a non-credit-course)
W	*	Withdrawal from a course
I	*	Incomplete (work with excuse, grade to be given later)

* No grade-point equivalent is assessed for the notations I, W, S, and U.

General Rules Pertaining to the Administration of Exams

Examination questions are prepared by the relevant course instructor. In multi-group courses where there are several instructors giving the same course, the examination questions are prepared by the course coordinator with other instructors’ contributions. In such multi-group courses, examination questions are identical for each group. Exam answer sheets are evaluated by the relevant course instructor. In multi-group courses, evaluation is carried out under the organization of the course coordinator. Exam answer sheets are kept by the course instructor for one year at least. In the case of an instructor leaving the University during this period, the exam papers are handed to the relevant department.
In order to be eligible to sit for any exam, the student is required to show his/her EMU identification card.

Credit Earned

A student earns a credit based on the level of his/her achievement in a course. The credit earned is the product obtained by multiplication of the “Credit-Hour” and the “Grade-Point” obtained from a course.
Grade-Point Average (GPA) and Cumulative Grade-Point Average (CGPA)

A student's academic achievement for each term is expressed numerically by an index referred to as the Grade Point Average (GPA). The GPA is obtained by:

• 
  Calculating credit earned for each course;
  
• 
  Adding these results for all courses in the term to obtain the total credits;
  
• 
  Dividing the total credits by the total credit-hours attempted.
  

The GPA so obtained can range from 0.00 to a maximum of 4.00. A student’s GPA is calculated and reported to two decimal places.

A student’s overall academic achievement is expressed numerically by an index referred to as the Cumulative Grade-Point Average (CGPA). The CGPA is obtained by:

• 
  Adding credits earned in each term completed;
  
• 
  Adding credit-hours attempted in each term completed;
  
• 
  Dividing the total credits earned by the total credit-hours attempted.
  

Example:
A Freshman year (first year) IENG student gets the following grades during his/her first semester:
Ref. Code Course Code Credit-Hour Course Grade Grade-Point Credit Earned

26711 CHEM101(*) 4 D- 0.7 2.8

26712 PHYS101 4 B 3.0 12.0

26713 MATH151(*) 4 F 0.0 0.0

26714 ENGL191 3 A- 3.7 11.1

26715 CMPE110 + 4 C+ 2.3 + 9.2

19 35.1

(*) It must be repeated in the following semester since it has not been satisfactorily completed.

Therefore, GPA = 35.1 / 19 = 1.85 (Unsatisfactory). As this is the first semester in the university for him/her CGPA=GPA = 1.85.
Now, in the second term in the university, the student repeats CHEM101 and MATH151, registers to 3 other courses and gets the following grades at the end of the second semester:

Ref. Code Course Code Credit-Hour Course Grade Grade-Point Credit Earned

26711 CHEM101 4 C 2.0 8.0

26713 MATH 151 4 A 4.0 16.0

26722 PHYS102 4 B+ 3.3 13.2

26724 ENGL192 3 A- 3.7 11.1

26725 MENG102 3 A 4.0 12.0

26729 IENG102 + 0 S 0.0 + 0.0

18 60.3
Therefore for the second semester GPA = 60.3 / 18 = 3.35 (Honor Student).

The student’s CGPA at the end of second semester will be:
CGPA = Total Credits Earned / Total Credit-hours Attempted = 92.6 / 29 = 3.19
Where the Total Credits Earned and the Total Credit-hours Attempted are determined as
Total Credit-hours Attempted = Total Credit-hours Attempted in the First and Second Semesters

– Total Credit-hours of Repeated Courses in the Last Semester

= (19 + 18) – (4+4)

= 29
Total Credits Earned = Total Credits Earned in the First and Second Semesters

– Previous Total Credits Earned from Repeated Courses

= (35.1 + 60.3) – (2.8 + 0.0)

= 92.6

This example also points out the importance of re-registering as soon as possible to courses from which the student has failed. As sooner he/she improves those grades sooner he/she will improve his/her CGPA by nullifying the effect of the failing grades on CGPA and thus stay out of trouble.

Appeals to Exam Results

A student is given a chance to see all documents involved in the determination of the semester grade no later than a week following the publication of the course grades. Any appeal against the marks of a mid-term examination or any other assessment components must be made to the course instructor within one week following the announcement of the marks. Course instructor is required to evaluate the appeal within one week. If the student is not satisfied with the instructor’s evaluation, s/he has the right to appeal to the relevant Department Chair which should be made in writing within 3 days following the instructor’s evaluation date. The department chair will form a committee of instructors to finalize the student’s appeal within one week. The decision of the committee is final. Any appeal concerning a semester grade must be made to the relevant course instructor no later than the end of the registration period of the following semester.

Success for School, Undergraduate, and 5-year Program Newly Registered Students Registering After Academic Year 2007-08

A student is considered successful at the end of a semester, if the Grade Point Average (GPA) and Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) are at least 2.00 out of 4.00. Students registered to the normal course load of a program in a department and scores a GPA between 3.00 and 3.49 is designated an 'Honor', if the GPA is between 3.50 and 4.00 is designated a 'High Honor'.

 

“Academic Term” refers to the Spring and Fall Semesters (except for the English Preparatory School semesters) a student takes courses within the department’s published program of study. Students enrolled in an undergraduate and/or 5-year program whose CGPA’S are specified below are considered as ‘successful’, ‘on probation’ or ‘unsuccessful’.

End of Academic Term (EAT) Unsuccessful Student on Probation Student Successful Students

1^st EAT - - -

2^nd EAT CGPA < 1.00 1.00 ≤ CGPA< 1.50 1.50≤ CGPA

3^rd EAT CGPA < 1.00 1.00 ≤ CGPA< 1.50 1.50≤ CGPA

4^th EAT **** 1.00 ≤ CGPA< 1.50 1.50≤ CGPA

5^th EAT CGPA < 1.50 1.50 ≤ CGPA< 1.80 1.80≤ CGPA

6^th EAT CGPA < 1.50 1.50 ≤ CGPA< 1.80 1.80≤ CGPA

7^th  EAT CGPA < 1.50 1.50 ≤ CGPA< 1.80 1.80≤ CGPA

8^th and more EAT CGPA < 1.80 1.80 ≤ CGPA< 2.00 2.00≤ CGPA

 

*** Students who completed a minimum of 4 academic semesters (if the fourth semester is Spring Semester, then at the end of the Summer School) and who have a CGPA below 1.00 are dismissed from the program.

 

The starting semester of students transferring from one program to another internally or externally is accepted as an Academic Term.  However, transfer students are considered as successful at the new program at the end of the first semester of the transferred program. Based on the Student Exchange Program framework, every semester spent out of the University is considered as an Academic Term. Depending on the academic performance of the student, number of courses to be taken in the upcoming semesters is determined by the “course load” section.

 

Undergraduate and 5-year program students who completed a minimum of 4 academic semesters (if the fourth semester is Spring Semester, then at the end of the Summer School) and who have a CGPA below 1.00 are dismissed from the program. These students are only allowed to transfer to the school programs, if requested.

 

Unless there is a valid reason, students are required to finish four-year programs at most in 8 years and five-year programs at most in 10 years. Periods of leave of absence are not taken into consideration in the specified periods above. Students who fail to graduate within the specified period are dismissed from the University. However, graduating students who meet specific requirements may be given an additional time period.  Requirements, additional time period and rules concerning graduating students are regulated by the ‘Course Registration By-Law’.